The Marriage Festival
by music is lif3
Summary: Every year marriage festivals are held across the Islands. But how is Astrid supposed to learn to be...girly? And since when did Hiccup become attractive? Can this tough and independent girl learn to trust someone other then herself...with her heart?


**Soooo I've become obsessed with How to train your dragon and decided to write a story.**

**this is my first attempt with these characters so advice and comments are welcome!**

**The beginning in a little slow but I have some ideas for making things more interesting!**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

Chapter One: The suprise

Astrid couldn't remember the last time...no, even the first time she had acted like a girl.

I mean, obviously she WAS a girl, despite that fact that she wore shoulder armor, carried a battle axe and that her skirt was covered in more spikes then a Mace in the armory.

And despite that she was more comfortable covered in mud and running around the dragon training area with her best friend Ruffnut with a sword and shield in hand then sitting in front of the fire sewing a dress or cooking dinner like the other women in Berk.

Astrid was, despite all of these things, a girl.

And now, almost two years later after discovering Toothless (Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's Nightfury) and helping Hiccup save their Island Berk with their viking friends from an enormously terrifying dragon, Red Death, that had been responsible for the other dragons taking Berk's source of food (go figure) she was finally beginning to feel more...well...girly.

And it all began a month before the beginning of Berk's Three Hundred and First anniversary of hunting dragons...

Since Berk had gained a new, peaceful relationship with dragons and were now known for their dragon trainers then killers, the villagers had decided to mark Berk's anniversary to celebrate with their new pets (And the fact that sheep raiding now reached an all time low).

It had been around this time that Hiccup's newly returned mother, Valka, had announced along with Berk's Chief Stoick, that Valka was organizing the young male dragon trainers to go along with her to the ice caves where the dragons, who had been rescued by Valka, lived.

It had taken place after dinner in the great hall, where everyone had fallen silent once their Chief Stoick had stood up and told them that Valka had taken over training for the villages young men.

"As our boys have now grown into young men and are needed for warriors, fighters, and protecting our village, I have decided that they shall come with me for a few weeks, along with many of the elder men, to learn as much as they can about all the kinds of dragons that are both here on Berk and across the many seas. One day, the elders will no longer be here, and passing on knowledge to the next generation is key to the survival of any village. Your Chieft Stoick shall remain here of course, and so will the young ladies along with the smaller children"

At once Astrid and Ruffnut along with a few other girls stood up and protested, why shouldn't they get to go!? Didn't they help in bringing down the Red Death and help save the dragons?

Valka held up her hand to emplore peace and a smile filled her face as the young girls quieted down.

"If somebody tells me that I can't go and kick butt with dragons just because I'm a girl I'm totally smashing their face in with my flagon." Ruffnut whispered to Astrid as they both sat on the dinner benches with identical scowls on their faces.

"I do not mean to offend any young lady here, how could I of all people imply that a woman isn't capable of fighting in battle or training a dragon? That is certainly not the truth, however" Valka said with her attention turned to Astrid, Ruffnut and a few other girls sitting at their table.

"A village also needs more then warriors, they also need families. And while the young women of Berk are becoming very well taught in dragon training, due to viking custom a woman must learn to be graceful and strong, well taught and able to provide for her family. I know that many of you ladies have turned sixteen or older, and your mothers and older sisters can tell you that this marks a very special and important time in a young girls life as many of you will begin to think of marriages and starting your own families. Therefore, in the time that the young men are gone, the women of Berk will assist you in learning about the many duties of a Viking woman."

With this announcement, Valka smiled once more at the young girls, no – young women now- and and stepped back down into the crowd who had all began to talk at once about the upcoming events.

The only one's who seemed to be in slight shock was Astrid and Ruffnut who looked at each other with looks of both horror and apprehension.

In Viking culture there had been a problem where,since girls were few in most villages, most of them were being kidnapped and forced to marry at impossibly young ages so that families could be assured a daughter and wife for their sons. However, to stop girls as young as five from being taken away, the Chiefs had gotten together to try and solve the problem.

Once a girl turns sixteen she was eligible for marriage. However, since girls were far and few between and nobody wanted to be kidnapped anymore, the Chiefs had decided that each year a different Village would hold a giant festival and would allow their daughters who were 16 and above to "come out" into Viking society as wife material.

Despite this being much more comfortable then being stolen in the middle of the night and taken away in a burlap sack (have you ever smelled a burlap sack when is was wet? Um hello? Gross!) there was the still annoying lessons of sewing, cooking, cleaning, taking care of babies and "Wifely nighttime duties" (Gods take me now)

Then at the festival, girls were encouraged to wear dresses they had made, put up their hair and mingle with the other Vikings their age. Hopefully, you'd find someone you like, talk to your families about them, and be fixed up with a person you mostly likely wouldn't try to kill once you woke up the day after your wedding night.

Sometimes there would be fights over a girl and then the young men were allowed to fight for her hand, which would be much more interesting since someone usually would end up breaking some bones or getting their hair burnt off by someone's dragon.

But all and all, it seemed like a boring time to Astrid. Since when did she need to learn about wife stuff? And babies? The one thing she was good at was training and fighting. Not dancing and making small talk with strangers who most likely were wondering how much land your family had for a dowry.

"Someone please kill me now" Ruffnut groaned out loud as she and Astrid made their way out of the dining hall after dinner with the rest of the village to finish their evening chores.

"You know sis, you should watch it, one day your wish might come true."

Astrid and Ruffnut both turned around and saw that Tuffnut (Ruffnut's annoying twin brother) were approaching them along with Snotlout, Fishlegs and ….Hiccup.

Astrid always figured Hiccup as a friend, and even though she had kissed him after he had his foot amputated from his battle with Red Death, she became way to shy and stubborn to let anything happen between them. Since they had both been 15 at the time, neither of them had really cared about romantic...stuff... and were now friends along with everyone else in the group.

But that had been when she was 15, of course.

"You know if someone doesn't keep their big fat mouth shut then me killing them would make my day soooo much better" Ruffnut growled at her twin.

"Guys come on, don't fight! Just think, were going to learn about all the different species of dragons! I already made extra cards to get all the information down."

Everyone stared at Fishlegs for a minute.

"What did I say?"

"Anyway," Snotlout said, "Hey ladies, your looking at the new defenders of Berk, see anything you like huh?" Snotlout winked and started to flex his muscles

"Yea, something I'd like to hit" Astrid said which made the group laugh at Snotlout's facial expression.

"Seriously that's not fair, how come we have to stay behind and do all the boring stuff?" Ruffnut turned to Hiccup who backed away slightly to avoid getting his face punched in.

"First off please don't hit me in the face again, I'm pretty sure my teeth got looser from your last one" Hiccup said, "and don't ask me, I'm not the one who made the rules about Viking hood."

"Hiccup's right," Fishlegs said, "The tradition of young men and women going to special training before the marriage festivals has been around for about 150 years now."

"So not helping mr. know-it-all." Ruffnut glared at Fishlegs daring him to talk some more.

"It's only for two weeks, then we'll come back and amazingly muscular warriors" Snotlout exclaimed, "Who knows? Maybe this will be the first year where the ladies fight over me? I know I can't even handle all this Viking sexiness"

"As if!" Both Astrid and Ruffnut exclaimed as they both landed a good punch in his gut as the other guys almost fell over with laughter.

"Come along Astrid!" Astrid's mom waited on the dirt path that led to their house, "It's time to come in and help with the chores!"

Astrid, Ruffnut and the boys all stopped for a moment and looked at each other.

"Well I guess this is goodbye for now." Fishlegs said.

"Your leaving now?" Astrid wondered.

"Yea, all the guys who are leaving are expected to sleep in the dragon area tonight so we can get an early start." Hiccup explained.

"Well fine! That means I won't have to suffer any more of your jokes for the next two weeks!" Ruffnut said to her twins face.

"Yea well it won't be as funny as you trying to sew a dress!" Tuffnut yelled out.

"Watch it or I'll sew your mouth together!" She yelled back at him.

"Guys, guys come on, we won't be seeing you for two weeks, can we just try not to kill each other now?" Hiccup tried to be the peace maker.

The group agreed and said there farewells before all turning and walking in different directions.

Astrid turned around and noticed that Hiccup was looking at her as if he might say something.

"What's up?"

"Oh uhh, you know just hope you don't set your house on fire or anything while were gone." He teased.

Astrid punched him on him arm

"Ow! Ok ok sorry."

"If I can train a dragon then I can defiantly do these silly chores there going to make me do!" Astrid exclaimed, still not happy about being left behind.

" I have no doubt about that" Hiccup grinned and stuck out his hand. "Well, good luck Astrid."

Astrid looked up and noticed, for maybe the first time, just how green Hiccup's eyes were.

"Uhh, yea you to. Don't get eaten or anything."

She wished he would stop looking at her and just as he opened his mouth to say something to her, one of the village men called out for him to get with the others in the training area.

"Uh well...yea...bye." and Hiccup turned and headed down toward the dragon stables where toothless was waiting for him.

On the way to her house, Astrid turned around and looked back at the group on young men...her friends...walking away.

"I wonder if things will still be the same" she whispered to herself before she opened the door.

If only she knew the way her whole world would be flipped upside down in the next month..


End file.
